Of Thunderstorms, Being Caught and Hallmark Cards
by kittymchale
Summary: "We'd missed each others touch. The little inside jokes. The way we both fit so perfectly on Artie's bed." The Chronicles of sneaking out, catching up and joking around. Switches between Artie and Tina's POVs.
1. Drama Queens

**A/N: DON'T SKIP THIS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST READ IT PLEASE.**

**Okay, so, now that I have your attention, welcome to this fic. **

**This fic will be going back and forth between Artie and Tina's POV's, which will be clearly indicated by the little label before the text. Artie's POV will be written by me, thegirlwhoseemedbroken and Tina's POV will be written by the beautiful and talented Gabrielleeeee. Since I will be posting this on my profile each time, I will have charge of the authors notes. Gabby's author's notes will be underlined, if she has any. **

**Without further ado, enjoy the fic.**

_**TINA POV:**_

I sat there nervously as Artie talked to his mom on the phone. Well, it was less of him talking, more of her screaming and Artie getting a word or two in every few minutes. Artie winced away from her words, staring intently at my expressions. Most of it was just muffled, angry words that I tried to block out, but I couldn't help but hearing a few things.

"I'M COMING TO GET YOU RIGHT NOW!" Her voice sounded through the speaker, then she promptly hung up.

Artie angrily tossed his phone across my bed and I let myself fall into his arms, resting my head on his bony shoulder. I breathed in deeply, taking in my favorite smell that was Artie. I can't exactly pinpoint it, but if I had to guess I would say it was a mixture of the fabric softener his mom uses on his clothes and his shampoo, his deodorant and just…him.

"I'm…so sorry" I breathed into his neck. For some reason I couldn't really think of anything else to say. All I knew was that I didn't want him to leave. I gripped him tighter as if it could stop him from leaving once his mom pulled up outside.

"It's not your fault, Tee." Artie said gently, rubbing small circles into my back and trying to calm me down. I knew I was being selfish, but I couldn't help it. He was the one who was about to face the wrath of his mother and here we were, Artie the one comforting me. I closed my eyes, wishing he didn't have to leave. On a logical level I understood why he had to leave. He'd broken a rule, and his mom was pissed. But emotionally, it felt like she was doing this to make us suffer. It felt like she was ripping Artie out of my arms just for her amusement, and was going to give him back once she thought I had suffered enough. All too soon we heard the van pull up outside, and his mom tap the horn angrily three times. Both Artie and I groaned and I unwillingly unwrapped my arms from him. I slid off his lap, and let myself sloppily fall back on the mattress, "My mom is going to be here any second." He said, his face dropping a little bit, "It was nice knowing you, Tee." He attempted to joke, sliding into his wheelchair.

"She's not going to _kill you_, drama queen," I mumbled, throwing the pillow over my face. We both knew how serious his mom was about his safety, and what had happened broke about...6 of her rules. Yep, I definitely wasn't going to see him before I turned twenty.

"I'll text you later if I'm not dead by then," Artie said, waving weakly and rolling out the door. I felt my eyes get watery when I heard the front door open and shut. He was gone.

It had all started two days ago. After the whole Mike thing* I stayed single for a week or something, trying to figure out if what I was planning on doing was right. Don't get me wrong, I really like Mike. He's an awesome person. But after everything that happened, and all of the thinking I did, I knew when It came down to it, Artie was the one I wanted to be there when I opened my eyes in the morning. I can easily imagine being with him five years from now. Ten, even. I don't want to think any farther ahead then that. I might be thinking a tad bit ahead though...because we weren't even officially together yet. I guess technically we're friends with benefits currently, which sounds really bad. But it's not like I'm going to say anything to him about it. Not yet, at least. If Artie wants me to be his official girlfriend he'll make it happen. I hope.

Two days ago I had somehow worked up the courage and kissed Artie. We were doing homework and talking about everything that had happened...and I just did it. It felt like the right thing to do. After an hour or two of just that his mom walked in. Me being me, I nearly fell off the bed out of surprise and embarrassment. Shockingly, she wasn't too mad, and agreed to let me stay for a couple more hours. She came back in at about one, and we blurted out any excuse we could think of to let me stay. Miraculously, she gave in on the condition that I slept in the guest room, which obviously didn't happen. Don't get me wrong, I'm not as..for lack of a better word, sex addicted as I seem. In fact, I'm still a virgin. Just simply being with Artie...cuddling and kissing. There's no rush to do anything else. That doesn't mean our kissing doesn't get kinda heavy sometimes…just…nevermind. The next day Artie and I just hung around his house, watching various movies. But if you asked me what movies we watched, I honestly couldn't tell you. His parents came home around…ten or so. I could tell Mrs. Abrams was kind of surprised I was still there, but she didn't really say anything, so I didn't ask. An hour or so later, she walked in on us, again. At least we were just cuddling. She had sat down on the corner of the bed, and took a deep breath. She then basically kicked me out…but kindly? She went on about how I should take a shower and talk to my parents and get a good night's sleep. Of course she was right, but we weren't buying it. It was like she didn't understand. We had been acting like that for the couple of days because it was like…we were part of a whole again. We had been catching up on the time we had missed. Sure, I had seen him every day since the day we broke up last year, but it was different. We'd missed each others touch. The little inside jokes. The way we both fit so perfectly on Artie's bed.

I pecked Artie on the lips, It's not like I could have done much of anything else with his mom right there, and we were off. The ride home had been pretty awkward, and I couldn't really help but be a little ticked off. When she dropped me off it felt like I was being dropped off at some prison. My parent's weren't going to be gone till the next night, which at the time meant I was going to spend the night completely alone. To quicken the story…Artie snuck over. In the middle of the night. And his mom realized in the morning, and that brings us to the current happenings.

I'd decided I wasn't going to move from my bed until Artie was allowed to hang out again. Yep. That's exactly what I was going to do. Unfortunately, my growling stomach had other ideas, so a few hours later I found myself downstairs, boiling water to make Ramen noodles.

I hated being alone. It was the fact that I didn't have anyone to talk to and it was completely silent. It felt like someone was going to pop out from the trash can or something and kill me. I'm pretty sure if someone broke into my house I would be dead meat. Nope, wouldn't put up a fight or anything. Wanna take all my mom's jewelry? Yup, go ahead. It's all yours. Steal my dad's car? Sure! Hey, as long as you don't bust my head in with a baseball bat you can have whatever you'd like.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized the water was boiling over the top of the pot, and quickly turned the heat down. The sound of me opening the packet seemed so loud in the deafening silence. I added the square of noodles to the water, and directed my attention towards the window. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was a pretty mixture of pink, orange, and red. Far off, I could see…clouds? Huh. I quickly walked over to the living room, and flipped the T.V. on. I flicked through the channels until I hit the weather channel, and stopped. The hourly report was scrolling across the bottom of the page.

_ 5 pm: Overcast _

_ 6 pm: Light showers_

_ 7 pm: Light showers, Wind warning _

_ 8 pm: Heavy showers _

_ 9 pm: Heavy showers _

_ 10 pm: Thunderstorm warning in effect until: 2 AM. _

I froze, staring at the screen. Thunderstorm warning? Before I could panic I tried to convince myself it wasn't going to happen. It said a warning. It didn't say straight out there was going to be one…it was different, right?

The weatherman began talking about the weather report, and I quickly flipped a channel up which happened to be ABC family, which was playing a rerun of the latest Pretty Little Liars episode. I watched without paying much attention as my mind raced. I tried mentally slapping myself.

Come on, Tina. It's not going to storm. The weathermen were usually wrong, anyways. Those clouds didn't look _that _bad. It'll be a light rain at most.

I tried to calm down by curling up on the couch and watching the episode. The blonde girl was dancing with some guy, and was getting paid for it by the bitchy, unknown character who went by the name of A. I had a hard time following the rest of the episode, seeing as I hadn't been watching it since the beginning.

The timer went off in the kitchen and I jumped up and lightly jogged the short distance to the kitchen. I spooned the noodles into a dish, and poured the rest down the drain. The soup part of Ramen is gross. I sat at the table, eating the noodles at staring at my phone. I wanted so badly to just pick it up and call him, but I knew the Abrams' were probably eating dinner. Artie's phone going off and blaring the first few notes from Paper Planes by M.I.A. (I had set the ringtone for myself a couple of years ago, and he hadn't bothered to change it since.) would probably make his mom throw it out the window.

I finished most of the noodles and set the dish in the sink. Now what was I supposed to do. I checked the time, and it was only 10 pm. But since I had nothing better to do, I decided to lay down and try to sleep.

_BOOM. Crack-crack. BOOOOOOM. _

I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling, not that I could see it very well. It was pitch black, except for the faint street light that was shinning through the window. I looked out it…and it was raining. Super hard. I suddenly saw the sky light up with a huge lightning bolt, and a huge boom from the thunder followed a few seconds later. I jumped what felt like five feet up in the air, and landed back on the bed, my breathing steadily becoming more sharp and quick. Yep, it was definitely thunder storming.

My fear of thunderstorms started when I was really young. I was about 4 or 5, and my parents and I were sitting in the living room. They were trying to calm me down by saying the thunder was just giants hitting strikes while they were bowling, but I just looked at them like they were stupid. Suddenly, the wind picked up so bad that the tree that was near out windows broke through it, and glass and wind and rain flew everywhere. I thought it was the scariest thing…and I guess I've been terrified of thunderstorms ever since.

The thunder boomed again, seeming to fill the whole house. I quickly shifted to my hands and knees, and felt around the bed frantically for my phone. A couple of seconds later I realized it was still downstairs and mentally cursed myself. I ran down the stairs, tripping once and catching myself on the banister, and shuffled to the counter where my phone sat. I snatched it up, flipped it open, and hastily dialed the numbers I knew by heart. I could have cried when I heard Artie's sleepy voice mumble something.

"Artieeeeeee. Artie. It's thunderstorming" I squeaked as another thunderclap sent me sliding to the floor.

Mike thing*- To make things simple: Me and Artie broke up. Mike was there. Mike and I started dating. Mike started.. pressuring me to do things I didn't want to do. I refused. Mike cheated on me. With Santana. I found out. Lots of fighting. I broke up with him. I know I should still be super pissed at Mike, but I just can't. He's a good friend, but just a little too…hormonal at the moment. Him and Santana make a good match.


	2. Angry Speak

**Hey, kids. What's up?**

_**ARTIE POV:**_

I was going to be killed. If I wasn't killed, I would drop dead out of sheer fright. I knew it when I got the phone call from my mom.

"ARTHUR TIMOTHY ABRAMS!" My mom screeched, her high, raspy screaming easily heard even if you weren't anywhere near the phone, "HOW DARE YOU? SNEAKING OUT OF THE HOUSE TO GO VISIT TINA AT 4 A.M.? I TOLD YOU _SIX_ TIMES THAT YOU COULD VISIT HER IN THE MORNING _RIGHT AFTER_ SHE LEFT OUR HOUSE! TINA IS A HUMAN GIRL! SHE HAS TO SHOWER, SLEEP AND MAYBE _BREATHE _A LITTLE! GIVE HER A BREAK! MAYBE STAYING HOME FOR A FEW NIGHTS MIGHT TEACH YOU TO STAY IN YOUR BED AND AT HOME _AND_ NOT LEAVE SLOPPILY WRITTEN, BRIEF APOLOGIES AFTER YOU _CLEARLY_ DON'T LISTEN TO ME. I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO LOCK YOU IN YOUR ROOM AT NIGHT TO GET YOU TO STAY HOME, BUT I WILL! I AM COMING TO GET YOU _RIGHT NOW!_"

I didn't say anything. I sat there, dumbfounded, my mouth hanging open. Tina's face was exactly the same, brushing loose hair out of her face with her long fingers. She twisted the strands nervously in her hands, wincing away at some of my mom's words. Before I could slip a few words into the lecture, she hung up. Tina breathed, throwing herself sloppily in my arms.

"I'm so sorry," She whined, nuzzling her face into my neck. She gripped my tightly with both arms, hanging on to me like I was going to run away if she let go (hypothetically, of course).

"It's not your fault, Tee," I soothed, rubbing little circles on her back in an attempt to calm her down. I figured I was failing, just because I could feel a few tears roll down my shoulder. My hands shook as I moved them around. I really _did not _want to let go. After everything that had already happened between us, I never wanted to let go. I heard the ungodly sound of my mom honking furiously outside, closing my eyes in defeat. We both grunted reluctantly as we let go, "My mom is going to be here any second," I said, my face visibly dropping, "It was nice knowing you, Tee." I attempted to joke around, failing miserably. Tina's breath was quick and heavy as she plopped back on to her mattress, throwing a pillow up in the air and catching it again.

"She's not going to _kill you_, drama queen," Tina mumbled dryly, pulling the pillow over her face. I gave her hand a quick squeeze before rolling toward the door.

"I'll text you later if I'm not dead by then," I called, weakly waving before I rolled out the door. As I shut the front door, the piece of me that I left inside tingled around the edges, the part that Tina kept with her when I was gone. I rolled over to my mom's car, watching her eyes burn into my face from the mirror. I saw her lick her lips in anticipation to lecture me. I opened the door, sliding myself in and folding my wheelchair together myself, shoving it next to me on the seat. I had gotten good at doing this part myself, just in case someone was unable to help me. I could easily do it now. I glanced up at the mirror, my mom's death glare still not peeled off of me, "H-hi, mom." I stuttered, staring forward at her. Her gaze hardened, watching my face intently.

"Arthur. What did you think you were doing?" My mom started to lecture, deadly and hissing. My face was flushed as I bit my lip nervously, trying to decide if I should reply to her or just let her lecture me. That's one thing I _did not _get about parents. They would ask you a question and then when you answered, they would get all mad and yell at you even louder for answering their question. Why ask questions if you don't want them answered? I decided not to say anything when my mom started to drive home, her eyes flickering from the road back to the mirror, "_Why_? What were you trying to accomplish? You had me worried _sick_ when I was calling your name for 10 minutes to come get breakfast and when I looked into your room, you weren't there! Do you think it was fair to your father when he was calling around to look for you? I ought to ground you. I ought to make it so you can't go back to Tina's for a _very _long time. I thought I could trust you, Artie. I thought taking Tina home could show a little responsibility on both of your parts!"

Around then was when I zoned out, listening to what I liked to call "angry speak". My mom did this all of the time. She would pretty much repeat herself seventeen times and answer her own questions. She would ask three billion questions that she didn't want me to answer and run circles around the point. I wasn't saying that her yelling was a waste of time. It scared me to death. My mom lecturing me was terrifying. I knew what I did was wrong and I broke about sixteen of my mom's rules but it's a hard thing to be away from Tina. That sounds extremely "Hallmark card-y" but I don't know else to say it. Let me break it down for you.

June 22, 2010. The last day of school for my sophomore year. Tina and I were outside of the school, giving each other one last kiss before going to our separate homes. I remember texting a quick, "love you" to Tina before going to sleep.

June 30, 2010. The first day Tina and I hang out for the summer. I wasn't very observant as we watched "Coming Home" three times in a row. Tina was offended and left early when I wasn't listening to her talk about her summer reading.

July 10, 2010. The second day Tina and I hang out over the summer. We watched "Coming Home" again. She, once again, left early.

July 15, 2010. The first time I blew Tina off for a date so I could pay C.O.D. instead.

July 21, 2010. Tina goes to Asian Camp. The only reason I knew was because Facebook informed me.

July 22, 2010. What the hell is Asian Camp?

August 11, 2010. Tina comes back from Asian Camp. She ignores my calls.

September 7, 2010. The first day of school of my junior year. Tina promptly breaks up with me when she sees me. Later that day, Tina is seen holding hands with Mike Chang in the hallways.

September 8, 2010. I realize how much of an asshole I was.

September 9, 2010. I see Mike and Tina holding hands again. My stomach starts to burn. My heart feels like it's going to fall out of my butt. Mike and Tina walk past me. My chest feels like someone shoved a stake through it. No, more like a butcher's knife. The knife is twisted into a full 180 degrees a couple of times, pulled out and shoved back in. Lemon juice and hot sauce are then poured over the wound.

September 10, 2010. I lie awake at night wondering why I couldn't have realized that I loved Tina until after it was too late.

September 24, 2010. I dial Tina's phone number at 3 a.m. and promptly hang up when I hear her mumbling, sleep coated voice. I wasn't trying to pull a prank on her or something. I actually thought I was going to say something to her. I never did.

September 27, 2010. I see Mike and Tina dancing together in the choir room by them selves. I go home and cry a little bit. I was never this much of a little pansy girl, but I couldn't help it.

September 28, 2010 - October 14, 2010. Cue sad music and endless wallowing. That's literally all I did for almost a full month. I wasn't eating as much and my school work was getting almost too precise. People were starting to worry about me. I also joined the football team to try and get Tina to be impressed with my sportiness, but I'm pretty sure I failed.

October 14, 2010. This is when things take a turn for the worse. One Brittany Pierce comes up to me as I am taking things out of my locker. Brittany was changing focus between me and Santana, which was kind of odd, but I went with it. I swore I could hear Tina yelling about chicken feet or something in the background as Brittany asks me to be her boyfriend. The ideas started to click in my head. If Tina wasn't going to come back to me, I guess I had to get over her as well. Brittany says something about strollers and I accept her offer.

October 15, 2010. I could swear Tina was jealous of us.

October 16, 2010. I see Tina at the park. It's the first real time we talk since we broke up.

"Great job at the game on Friday."

"Thanks."

October 18, 2010. A.K.A. the biggest mistake of my life. The day started normal. I woke up normally, I ate breakfast normally, I left for school and did my work normally and glee club was normal.

"Want to come over and practice our duet?" Brittany asked airily, staring down at me.

"Sure," I accepted reluctantly, going with her to her car. We drove back to her house, heading to her room. It was upstairs, so Brittany had to pull the wheels up herself. I could have swore I was going to die as she pulled me up, one stair at a time. Brittany had some kind of super-human strength from being on the Cheerios. I took a mental note that if I joined the Cheerios, I would probably have abs. I then remembered that I would have to be a cheerleader. I crumpled up and threw away my mental note.

Once we got up to Brittany's room, she handed me a little pink keyboard and we started working on vocal runs. I realized how much better Tina was than Brittany at runs. I almost left because I couldn't handle how deep my feelings were for Tina and how wrong it was that I was there. Brittany stopped me and carried me to her bed. My breath was heavy and thick as she straddled me and whispered something in my ear. I couldn't hear the words over how loud my heart was screaming at me to stop. I came up with options as Brittany left kisses down my neck.

1. Push her off.

This option would not work with Brittany using most of her weight to pin my hands down in an awkward position. (Too awkward to move).

2. Kick her off.

...Wait... Ha.

3. Roll to safety.

I would probably fall on the floor and hurt myself even further. The last time I did that, I broke my wrist. It was after falling off of my bed.

4. Tell her to stop.

This was Brittany. None of the Cheerios knew the meaning of "stop".

With every single one of these failed options, I gave up. This is the reason why I had sex with Brittany. I figured that it might help me get over Tina, but it never really did. I regret it every single day since. I didn't _feel _anything. I probably would have felt something if Brittany did, but she didn't.

October 19, 2010. I lay awake in bed again, thinking about how I never realized I would even have sex in the first place. I realized how much I wasted my first time and how much I really shouldn't have done it.

I also realize how dating Brittany with feelings for another girl doesn't exactly add to the streak of not being a crappy boyfriend.

October 20, 2010. I break up with Brittany.

October 21, 2010. I realize Brittany never cared about me in the first place when I see her walking hand in hand with another guy, not even offering a passing glance. I also realize I don't care at all.

That sounds terrible. I should have felt really bad. I sat in front of the mirror that night, staring deep into my eyes. I searched for something different about me now that I had gone through all of that with Brittany. I searched for some kind of guilt for breaking up with her, some kind of stinging pain from missing her, but there was nothing, because I felt nothing. All I noticed was every time I thought about Tina, my eyes would become just a little duller and my head would hang a little lower.

October 22, 2010 - December 25, 2010. More wallowing. Christmas comes and all I can think about is kissing Tina under the mistletoe. It never happens.

January 2, 2011. Tina and Mike aren't holding hands in the hallway. I see Mike walking with Santana, Tina walking aimlessly through the hallway by herself. I go up to her after getting my things out of my locker.

"Tee," I whispered, not even bothering to use her proper name. I don't remember the last time I didn't call her by the nickname I always used for her. I was the only one that did.

"Artie," She nearly jumped into my arms, taking a seat down in my lap. Everything rushed down out of her at once as I rolled her into the vacant Astronomy room, letting her cry in my lap. She started blubbering about Mike and Santana as I rubbed her back, my fingers shaking visibly. I tightened my grip around her as she hooked her arms around my neck. Seeing Tina like this punched me in the stomach, even as I attempted to hold her tighter than was physically possible. I heard her coughing and sputtering, trying to pour everything out at one second.

"Tee, it's okay," I soothed, even as she cried harder, the hot tears soaking into my shirt.

"M-mike cheated on me with S-s-sant-tana, A-artie! I am a terrible girlf-friend and everyone sh-should hate me," She sobbed, telling me about how Mike was pressuring her into things she _clearly_ didn't want to do with him. The breath hissed out of me in infuration, wanting nothing more but to cut Mike's face off and feed it to a pack of wild dogs. I ended up calling home for Tina, getting her a ride home early from school.

January 7, 2011. Tina comes over to my house after a few nights of staying up irrationally late talking on the phone with each other. We were studying together and as I watched Tina laugh at a joke that I thought was going to fail miserably, I could have sworn I fell even deeper in love with her. I don't even know how, but it happened. When she said goodbye, I bit my lip too keep from kissing her too soon, no matter how much I wanted to.

January 8, 2011. Tina grabbed on to my hand instinctually while we were watching a horror movie together at my house. She immediately let go when she realized what she was grabbing on to, but I could see in her eyes she didn't want to let go. I didn't want her to either.

January 15, 2011. Tina and I were doing homework and all of a sudden, she leaned over and kissed me. It was sweet and gentle, just like I remembered. Her hair still smelled like I was used to, that intricate, delicious scent of coconut, hibiscus flower and just...Tina.

This is what brings us to now. Basically, Tina was at my house for the weekend unintentionally. I didn't want her to leave and neither did she. We were lying on my bed, her feet hooked around with mine. I didn't really understand why she did that. It's not like I could feel it or anything. It _was_ kind of cute though...

That's beside the point. Anyway, we were lying there, talking and cuddling when my mom came into my room and sat down on the corner of my bed. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

"Tina, sweetie, you've been here for two full days. Maybe I should take you home where you can shower and get a good night's sleep. I promise you can come back here once you get some rest. You guys only have two more days off from school. Maybe you should use them a little differently," She proposed, basically kicking Tina out. We had two days off for midterm grading, so we had a four day weekend.

In short, I snuck over to Tina's house at 4 a.m. That is why I'm in the car now, my mom yelling her head off.

We reached home, my mom walking into the house without waiting for me. I assembled my wheelchair and shifted into it, pushing myself up the ramp into the doorway. I didn't even take a second to give a quick text to Tina when my mom ordered me into the living room.

"Artie, do you have _any _sense?" She hissed, the breath releasing through her teeth. She started waiting for me to say something, so I figured that was my cue.

"Mom, I have sense," I said, "But, Tina was really lonely and-"

"Save it, Arthur. I don't want to hear your bogus excuses. I was trying to be frank with you guys. You know, give you some space so you could catch up on missed time. I gave you two full days to just lie around in bed. Sometimes you need to calm down and just take a step back. Tina is not going anywhere," My mom hissed, her breath quick and angry.

"Mom, I kn-" I started, cut off again. My mom's death glare silenced me.

"You crossed the line, Arthur. I can't just ignore that like it didn't happen. I understand that you are a teenager, but that doesn't make lying and sneaking out okay!" She screeched, really angry now, "You guys have only been back together for a couple of days! Isn't it a little early for that?" That's when _I _cut my mom off.

"Mom! We weren't-...Tina's a virgin, mom. We aren't having sex or anything!" I yelled back, immediately retracting my words. That's when I knew my mom was going to lose it. My mom bit her lip before she started yelling again.

"What about you, then?" She spat, putting her hands on her hips. My cheeks burned furiously. How was I supposed to explain to my mom the whole Brittany situation and everything? I wracked my brain for a moment before I realized that lying got me in this situation in the first place.

"N-no," I whispered, looking down at the floor, "It was a mistake and I-...I really regret it." My mom's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

"A-..." She couldn't finish her sentence. She just stood there calmly for a moment before nodding, teary-eyed and walking back into her bedroom.

I really hurt her. After explaining everything that happened, giving her a hug and watching Lifetime movies with her when my dad told me to apologize, she was okay. She actually laughed at me for having sex with Brittany. Figures.

Later that night, after eating dinner, my parents were sitting in the living room while I wiped down the table.

"Wow, thunderstorm warning until 2 A.M...in January. You don't see that often, do you?" My mom said to my dad, squeezing his hand lightly. I froze. Tina was deathly afraid of thunderstorms. I remember the time I was on vacation and Tina called me at 3 A.M. because it started to rain. I'm not saying I minded.

I went to bed that night worrying about Tina, wondering if I should call her or not. I texted her a couple of times and she answered fine, so I just went to bed. A couple of hours later, the silly ringtone Tina set for me blasted in my ear. I picked it up sleepily, hearing Tina's pained groans on the other end.

"Artie," She whimpered, "Artie, it's thunderstorming."

I started to comfort her, listening to her sniffle on the other end.

"Tee, I know that this is a terrible plan, but I think you should come over. You should _not_ be alone right now," I whispered, trying to keep my voice down.

"I don't even care, Artie. I'm scared, it's raining and I am going to die if I am alone. I'll get crushed again," Tina said, putting on her shoes. I could hear the rain splash under her feet and her heavy breathing as she ran to my house. I could hear her knock on the window as I opened it, letting Tina throw herself in my room from the outside.

I guess that is how this beautiful, drenched girl ended up on my floor, sobbing uncontrollably and shivering violently.

"It's raining, Artie."

**p.s...i love you.**


	3. Running On My Jelly Legs

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoys the chapters :)**

_**TINA POV:**_

Just the sound of Artie's voice had the ability to calm me down at least 10%. I had started to cry, and only realized it when I reached up to wipe the tears off my face without thinking. I really hated how afraid of storms I was, but couldn't really do anything about it as I sat there, shaking. I blubbered a few more obvious things about how it was storming and raining and dark, and Artie immediately started to try to calm me down. I honestly had no idea how he put up with this.

"Tee.. it's alright, okay? Storms happen everyday all over the world! You're safe in the house. Nothing is going to happen.. I'm right here. Ignore the storm and listen to me."

His tone shifted when I let out a small scream as a bolt of lighting touched down miles away and lit up the room.

"Tee, I know that this is a terrible plan, but I think you should come over. You should _not_ be alone right now," He whispered hurriedly.

As soon as I heard his words I knew he was right, and using the counter I pulled myself back to my feet. My legs felt like jelly.

"I don't even care, Artie. I'm scared, it's raining and I am going to die if I am alone. I'll get crushed again or something" I babbled as I made my way towards the front door. I slid on my shoes, and let out a shaky breath.

"Ohh..okay. I'm. I'm going to run there know" I squeaked as I opened the front door.

I was instantly hit with the icy sting of the wind and mist from the rain, and took a tentative step forward. I started sprinting once I hit the end of my driveway, thankful that Artie's house was only a couple blocks away.

I have no clue how I managed it, but I was finally in front of his house. Sure, I was soaking wet, shivering, trying to slow down my breath, and fighting off tears, but I was there. I snapped the phone shut, and quickly walked over to the window, and frantically knocked on it a couple times. I watched as Artie hastily rolled over to the window and slid it open smoothly, and I felt the tears start pouring down my face as I dumped myself onto his carpet. I knew how pathetic I probably looked.. like a drowned rat or something, but I couldn't stop the small sobs that were coming out.

"It's raining, Artie." I said, sounding like a broken record. I laid there for a few moments, trying to calm my shivers as I heard Artie roll up next to me.

"Tee. Tina. It's alright.. It'll be over soon" Artie said. I could hear the helplessness in his voice, and turned to look at his face. His eyes were filled with concern as I slowly sat up.

"I'm.. I'm really sorry." I blubbered quietly. The thunder sounded again, and I quickly jumped into his lap, burying my face into his shoulder. It was then I realized how truly soaked through my clothes were when Artie winced a little bit at my sudden embrace. Ugh. How could I be so dumb? I quickly climbed off of his lap and hugged myself, trying to keep warm.

"Sssorry." I spluttered again. Was that the only thing I could say?

"No, Tee. Don't be sorry. You're soaking wet, and need new clothes." He whispered quietly, rolling over to his chest of drawers. I watched with wide eyes as he pulled out a pair of flannel pj bottoms and a crisp, white vneck. He turned back around, and hesitantly handed them to me.

"..My mom's asleep in the room two doors over. The bathroom is in-between us and her." He said, and I saw him chew on his lip in thought.

"C-can I just change in here?" I asked, not caring how awkward this might be for him. I was freezing, and wanted to get out of these sopping, heavy clothes.

After a tight lipped nod from Artie, I quickly turned around and peeled the shirt off my back, tossing it to the floor. I expertly unhooked my bra and threw it on top of the shirt. I felt Artie's eyes on my bare back as I slid into the fresh shirt, a wave of goose bumps washing over me because of the warmth. I shimmied out of the jeans, which seemed to now weigh ten pounds, and tossed it onto the pile. Miraculously, my underwear was still dry, and I quickly pulled on the cozy bottoms.

I turned back around, and gave a small smile. I already felt ten times better. I was about to walk back over to Artie's lap, when a sudden, house shaking boom of thunder sent me diving under the covers on his bed. I shook in fear and began crying quietly again, feeling pathetic. I felt the bed shift a few moments later and Artie moved onto it. He lifted up the covers, and squirmed under them. He then moved up closer to me, and slowly wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me to him.

"Tee.." He breathed quietly. I felt his breath move across my cheek. "It's alright. I promise. I'm right here. Nothing's going to happen."

Artie was the only one who could do this. Effectively calm me down, I mean. Whenever anyone else tried to it usually ended up with me being more upset than I originally was. This had happened once while I was dating Mike, and he started getting really frustrated with me. He started yelling at me and saying maybe I should just hide under the table because that's the only way I'd be safe it the house caved in or something. I ended up staying under the table for a good three hours.

I slowly turned myself so I was facing him, and smiled. I snuggled in closer to him, and was about to kiss him when he suddenly froze.

"What?" I whispered, freezing as well.

"I hear my mom. She's getting up." He whispered, glancing behind him at the door.

"..What should I do?" I asked, beginning to panic.

"..Artie? is everything okay?" Mrs. Abrams muffled voice sounded from her room. "I thought I heard something.." We heard her open the door, and begin walking towards his.

"Tee, quick, get into my closet and shut the door okay?" Artie hissed quickly, pulling the covers off of me.

Without a second thought I jumped up from the mattress. I scuttled soundlessly across the room, kicking my wet clothes under his bed as I went, and dived into the open closet. I shut the door after me, and quickly adjusted. I pulled a couple hangers out from under me and thew a couple sweaters over myself. I steadied my breathing just as I heard the door creak open.


	4. Hiding Under The Bed

**hey guys :D**

**_ARTIE POV:_**

Our plan was not very good. Not at all. Even as I heard Tina's breathing slow and relax a little, I still knew our plan was awful. Tina has told me countless times that I was the only one that was able to calm her down, probably because I didn't scream at her and make her hide under the table when a thunderstorm struck. I guess all she wanted was to be tight in someone's arms and for someone to tell her everything was okay. I half-smiled to myself as Tina shifted her head up to kiss me. Suddenly, I felt as if I had been petrified. Squeaking sounds coming from my mom's creaky bed. I looked around frantically, trying to come up with a solution.

"What?" She whispered, completely still, as well. She glanced around desperately, searching my eyes for the answers. Her hands stayed frozen in place, curled up, pushed against my chest.

"I hear my mom. She's getting up," I hissed, staring at the door. Tina's eyes followed mine.

"What should I do?" She panicked, staying close to me.

"Artie? Is everything okay?" My mom's voice sounded from her room, "I thought I heard something." My ears pricked at the sound of my mom opening and re-closing the door.

"Tee, quick, get into my closet and shut the door, okay?" I whispered quickly, not really thinking about what I was saying before I said it. It seemed as if Tina didn't really care about the ridiculous request as she jumped off of the bed and with a couple of swift movements, made her way across the room while kicking her drenched clothes under the bed. She shut the door behind her, shuffling around in there for a second before settling down. I flopped my head to the side, attempting to look like I was asleep as the door creaked open.

"Artie?" My mom asked, peeking her head in the door. I pretended to crack open my eyelids for the first time, forcing a yawn. I coated my voice with a fake sleepiness.

"Hmm?" I groaned, yawning again. My mom furrowed her eyebrows.

"I could swear I heard you rolling around in here," She accused, folding her arms across her stomach. I snapped my eyes open, digging through my brain for a good lie.

_Lies, Artie. Come up with some. Come on. It's not that hard. LIE._

"Uhh...I was getting a drink of water," I stuttered a little, nodding feverishly. My mom raised her eyebrow, looking over at my desk. She looked back at me skeptically.

"You don't have a glass of water in here," My mom said, shifting her hands to her hips.

"I-I finished it...and it...flew out of the window..," I replied, chewing nervously on my lip. She pursed her lips and sucked in her cheeks a tiny bit. Shaking her head, my mom told me to go to sleep and walked out, shutting the door behind her. I could hear Tina stifling giggles from inside of the closet, shuffling around again.

_Nice one, Artie. You're a great liar. Keep up the good work._

"Don't laugh at me!" I whispered, chuckling breathily. Tina hopped out of the closet, taking her position back by my side. She cuddled up close to me, one arm hooked around my waist and the other resting by her side. Her head was laying on chest, listening intently to my heartbeat.

"Do you feel that?" I asked her, rubbing her back a little bit nervously.

"Feel what?" She questioned, drawing her eyebrows together and lifting up her head to look at me. I bit my lip again as she put her head back down, tightening her grip.

"My heartbeat," I responded in a hushed tone, my steady breathing picking up a little bit. I could see her smile through the dark as she nodded. I smoothed her hair with one hand, gently and absent-mindedly. I was actually trying to distract her from the fact that I was extremely nervous.

"What about it?" She whispered back, shifting her hand over my heart.

"It's beating really hard for you," I half-laughed, waiting awkwardly for her to respond. She looked at me again, her eyes softening.

_1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4. _

I could see her mouthing numbers with each beat of my heart, pressing her lips together a little. I began to reach up when the lamp in the corner of my room fizzled out. The power.

"Oh my god, oh my god, Artie," She whined, plastering herself to me as the thunder boomed. I shook myself from my nerves and tightened my arms around her, hushing and leaving kisses on the top of her head.

"It's okay," I soothed, "We're going to be okay." That's when I heard the floor creak again. At the same time, a lightning bolt touched down and lit up my entire room, causing Tina to release a quiet scream and throw herself off of the bed.

"I'm going to die!" She whimpered, rolling down under the bed.

"What are you doing?" I whispered harshly as the footsteps became closer, "Tee!" She was shivering and crying under my bed, attempting to be quiet. I didn't even try and make it look like I was sleeping when my mom popped her head back into my room with a flashlight.

"Artie? Are you okay? The power went out," She said, tossing the flashlight on my bed. My mom walked forward, sitting on the corner of the mattress. I could feel Tina squirming under the bed, closing my eyes.

_Tina, stop moving...Wait, these are your thoughts. She can't hear them. _

I looked up, nodding. My mom pursed her lips again and patted my arm, standing back up to leave. She lunged forward like she had tripped over something and I could swear I heard Tina groan a little. My eyes widened, hoping that my mom didn't hear anything. She just brushed off her pajama pants and left, so that had to count as some kind of good sign. She shut the door, Tina rolling back out from under my bed. She squeaked a little and jumped back up, the breath hissing out of her as the thunder clapped again. Smushing herself in the spot next to me, Tina's breath was shaky and frightened. I ran my hand up and down her back, tracing little hearts on her spine.

"What are we?" Tina asked abruptly. I raised an eyebrow at her, honestly not knowing what she meant. I blinked in confusion, getting an almost flustered type of sigh in return, "What are you to me? What am _I _to _you_?" I had to think about that for a second.

Was she my girlfriend?

I couldn't answer that question honestly. She may have been. It was never a formal presentation. I didn't come sweeping into her room and yell, "TINA COHEN-CHANG, WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?" and it's a good thing I didn't. Tina never liked huge gestures. She didn't like when I tapped my fingers, either.

She didn't like that one blue bow tie because it reminded her of bad memories.

She didn't like oatmeal cookies.

She didn't like water that was too hot.

We might as well have been dating. I knew everything. Everything she loved, everything she hated.

She liked that red bow tie.

She liked the peanut butter cookies I made...well, burnt.

She liked the feeling after a perfectly hot shower.

I didn't know what she actually felt about me. All I know is that I loved her. Every single little part of her. From the way her skin would prickle when I ran my fingers across her arm, the way she squinted a little when she was trying to figure something out, the way her laugh was so contagious, she could get the whole world to smile along with her...even the way she would press her lips together in disapproval. I didn't know how many ways you could love a person, but I bet I covered them all.

Was Tina just my friend?

I didn't know how to answer that one either. Friends didn't kiss each other and spend countless nights cuddling. They also didn't feel that unique burst of energy each time they left a kiss on each other's lips leaving each other starving for more. Friends didn't hold hands and silently plead with their eyes to never let go.

Were we..._friends with benefits?_

It couldn't have been. No way. By definition, it was. By heart, it wasn't. It was way more than that. It was...love. No labels. Just love.

"Tina, you're my world, honestly. I love you more than I could ever scream, say, write, promise, kiss, anything. I love you more than everything. After all that happened, I really realize it. I'll always love you, okay?" I admitted, probably using too big of a gesture again. Instead of freaking out, Tina just smiled. She smiled brighter than I had seen in such a long time.

"Really?" She whispered excitedly, "You really mean that?" Her eyes were hopeful, screaming at me with joy.

"Of course, I do. I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. I just have a question that I'm really extremely nervous about, Tee. Seriously, I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest," I laughed, grabbing her hand and putting the palm over my heart again, "See?"

"What?" Tina said airly, acting like she didn't know what I was going to say, but her eyes gave her away. I knew she knew exactly what I was going to ask her and it made me smile to myself that she was anticipating my words.

"Well, you probably already know, but I just really, really want to ask if you would do me the extraordinary pleasure of being my girlfriend again," I said dramatically, trying to take some of the awkward pressure off of the situation. Tina giggled and rested her head back on my chest. She didn't say anything, but nodded excitedly, expressing anything she could have said without saying a word. That's when the storm started to worsen again, the thunder pounding hard outside. Tina plastered herself to my side once more, the breath hissing in and out between her teeth. Lightning struck again, a tiny scream bursting through Tina's lips. I tightened my grip around her back, kissing her forehead once more, "It's okay, Tee." I hushed her, tracing up and down her spine again.

That time, when the floor creaked and the door shut, I guess I didn't hear it. This realization was apparent when my mom opened my door, gasping in almost an offended manner.

_You're dead now, Abrams._

**WHOA. How cheesy? haha**


	5. Awkward Lectures

**_TINA POV:_**

I sat in the closet, trying to make as little noise as possible as Mrs. Abrams questioned Artie. My knees were mashed up against my chest, my arms pulled tight around them. I was basically holding my breath, terrified that if I let out the slightest noise she would pull open the closet door, see me, and kill me. Yup. I could see it now. Mrs. Abrams pulling open the closet door, her face morphing to resemble the devil or something. She'd see me sitting there with the terrified look that was surly on my face this very second, pull me out with her super angry mom powers, and rip my limbs off one by one.

Artie's unsteady voice, raised an octave or two as he tried to lie efficiently brought me back to the reality of our situation. A hanger was stabbing me in the back, and one of my legs was starting to cramp.

What were we doing? Honestly. What was I doing. Why was it that we were lying about me being at Artie's in the middle of the night, trying to sneak comfort from the storm. It wasn't like he was my boyfriend. Officially. ..But if Artie wanted me to be his girlfriend, would he have made it happen already? Or was I just being silly. Maybe to him, we were just really close.. friends. Friends who kissed and touched and had so many things left unspoken? No, that couldn't be right. I furrowed my eyebrows and left my thoughts at that, zoning in just as Artie mentioned the glass of water he supposedly got flying out the window. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face, and could almost hear how much his mom doubted him. She told him to go to sleep, and shuffled out, shutting the door behind her. Using the wall for support, I slowly pulled myself up into a standing position, and pulled open the door once I heard the faint sound of Mrs. Abrams climbing back into bed. I let out a few small giggles as I closed the short distance between the closet and the bed, basically dived back into my previous spot. Without much thought I wrapped one arm around his warm frame, and rested my head on his chest. My head slowly rose and dropped as he breathed in and out, and the sound of his heartbeat had almost a calming affect on me.

"Do you feel that?" He asked me asked me softly, his touch giving me chills as his lightly ran his hands over my lower back, which had been exposed once my shirt rode up a couple inches.

"Feel what?" I breathed out, my cheeks suddenly warm. Was I that obvious?

"My heartbeat." He whispered simply, but the words had his heart beating a little bit faster. All I could do was nod and smile, the feeling in me suddenly overpowering. In that moment, I knew one thing. I never wanted to lose this boy. This… completely extraordinary boy. Artie Abrams. I could say his name all day and never get tired of it. Artie Abrams. Artie Abrams. Artie Abrams. Tina Abrams. Wait. I didn't just think that.

"What about it?" I finally answered him once I seemed to regain control of my voice. I pulled up my other hand which had been resting idly by my side so it was beside my head, my fingers lightly pulling on his t-shirt.

"It's beating really hard for you.." He breathed out, chuckling a little bit.

I shifted my head so I was looking at his face. I couldn't exactly pinpoint the emotion that he was looking back at me with, but I didn't ever want to look away. His eyes were my favorite. His nose was my favorite. His ears were my favorite. His lips were my favorite.

Artie's heartbeat settled, and began beating to a steady rhythm. I mouthed along without thinking, staring into his eyes.

_1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4. _

I was vaguely aware of his hand reaching towards me when the small lamp on the desk in the corner of the room suddenly shut off, and darkness swallowed us. I tensed quickly, ducking my head back down to his chest and tightening my grip on him. My shoulders rose and fell rapidly as my breathing sped up, my mind racing. It wasn't the dark I was afraid of, it was the combination of the storm I had momentarily forgotten and the utter darkness that terrified me. I felt my self babbling nonsense about the storm as Artie's arms tightened around me and he left hurried kisses on the top of my head. I squeezed my eyes shut.

In a matter of seconds the following things happened: the floor outside his door let out a particularly loud squeak, a huge bolt of lightening struck somewhere and lit up his room, and I jumped about a foot in the air, letting out a choked scream in the process. I guess I managed to move a couple inches to the right in this process, because when I came down instead of landing on the bed, I fell onto the floor with a low thud.

"I'm going to die!" I whimpered, positive the windows were about to cave in. Without thinking, I rolled under Artie's bed, burying my face into my hands as tears started to squeeze out of my eyes. A few muffled whimpers escaped, and I squeezed my mouth shut. I hadn't noticed at first when the door opened, but I soon realized that Artie was talking to his mom again when I heard the mattress squeak as she sat down. I let out a few quick breaths, and tried to calm down. I lifted up my head as high as I could, and looked around. A box was a couple inches to the right, various sweaters were laying around, some dust bunnies, and finally the small pile of balled up, drenched clothes that belonged to me. My navy blue bra was sticking out, and I looked at it blushing. Had I really just changed right in front of him? Whipped it off and thrown on the shirt he gave me? My cheeks burned. I hadn't been wearing a bra for the past half hour that we'd been smushed together. Dear lord. I decided right then that I was going to ask Artie about.. us.

The mattress squeaked again as Mrs. Abrams got up. A few seconds later I had to chomp down on the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling out when she tripped over my foot, which was probably sticking out. Squeezing my eyes shut, I laid there frozen willing her to leave. A moment later she did exactly that, and I squirmed out from under the bed.

Thunder clapped as I jumped up, crying out. Quickly sliding back into the bed, I gripped Artie with my arms and buried my face into his chest. I tried to control my shaky breath without much success.

My back tingled as Artie touched it, running his hands up and down, occasionally tracing small hearts into it.

_Do it. Now. _

"What are we?" I asked quietly. I lifted my head enough to peer up at him. He seemed almost confused with the question, and I squeezed him tightly. Reassuringly.

"What are you to me? What am _I _to _you_?" I tried again, hoping this was a little bit more clearer. He stopped rubbing my back and chewed on his lip thoughtfully. I looked down at my arm wrapped around him, the silence unnerving.

Artie took a breath, and began slowly. "Tina, you're my world, honestly. I love you more than I could ever scream, say, write, promise, kiss, anything. I love you more than everything. After all that happened, I really realize it. I'll always love you, okay?"

It was way too good to believe, and I felt a huge smile slowly spread across my face. My stomach felt like it was doing flips and a weird type of warmth spread through me. I didn't want to move from this spot. Ever.

"Really?" I couldn't help but ask. "You really mean that?" I couldn't believe it. My lips ached from smiling so big but I couldn't help it. I peered into his eyes and I could tell what he said was the truth.

"Of course, I do. I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. I just have a question that I'm really extremely nervous about, Tee. Seriously, I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest." He said laughing quietly. He took my hand and placed it over his heart. Sure enough, his heart was beating quickly. My hand shook as I laid my palm against his chest, the ridiculous smile still on my face.

I stared into his eyes, my breath quickening a little bit as I anticipated what was coming next. This is exactly what should be happening. What I had been hoping would happen.

"What?" I asked, giggling a little bit.

"Well, you probably already know, but I just really, really want to ask if you would do me the extraordinary pleasure of being my girlfriend again.." Artie stated dramatically.

I never wanted to forget this moment. Ever. With his words each doubt I had vanished and was replaced with reassurance. Sure, this hadn't worked out last time. But I trusted Artie. I trusted Artie with my life. We had both grown, and changed since last year. A lot can happen in that time.

I nodded quickly, grinning, and laid my head back onto his chest. Perfect. Everything was perfect. Of course I had to ruin the moment by whimpering once the storm worsened, squeezing his midsection tightly. I furrowed my eyebrows and took pained, choppy breaths. Artie resumed running his hands up and down my back, pulling me closer. I shifted myself so I was basically laying on top of him. I lifted my head, and was about to lean down to kiss him when I heard a gasp.

"ARTIE ABRAMS," His mom hissed angrily as I quickly slid off of him.

She was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and expression livid. We probably hadn't heard her due to the fact that the thunderstorm seemed to drown all other noises out.

"What the _hell _is going on here?" She whispered, her voice deadly.

I took in a quick breath, about to shoot out any excuse that came to my head when she stopped me, raising her index finger up.

"You know what, save it. I want both of you out in the living room in a minute." She said angrily, turning around and storming out.

I turned to look at Artie, who's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open.

"She's going to murder us," Was all I could utter as I stood up, nervously pulling my shirt, well, Artie's shirt, back into position. I smoothed the sides with shaky hands as Artie silently moved into his chair, seemingly speechless. I gulped, got behind Artie, and rolled him to the living room.

His mom sat rigidly at the edge of the single seater, her face sour. Her eyes narrowed as we moved into the room. She looked us up and down, and for the first time realized I was wearing Artie's clothes.

"Sit."

The single word had me terrified for my life.

I quickly obeyed, and sat on the sofa. Artie rolled a little bit, then shifted to the cushion next to me, sliding his hand into mine. I gripped it tightly, having no clue what was coming next.

Mrs. Abrams didn't try to ease the tension at all, sitting there and just squinting at us for a good minute or so while taking a few deep, angry breaths.

"I actually do not know _where_ to start." She began.

"I take Tina home after her being here for two whole days, you sneak over there the _same_ night, then I have to go all psycho mom on you. I thought after our talk you got what I was talking about, Artie. But apparently _not_, because it's clear to me now that you two _completely_ disregard anything I say." she hissed quietly, not wanting to wake Mr. Abrams. I could tell she would be yelling her pants off if it was the day or something.

"What, was Tina in your room the past few hours? Hiding every time I came in? Was she?" She spat, not looking for an answer. She stood up and put a hand on her hip, running the other through her hair. She paced a little bit, then stopped in front of us. I don't know about Artie, but I felt like I was five years old again, being reprimanded by my parents. It was probably just the way she was looking down at us.

"And then I walk in on you guys, and Tina is laying on top of you. What the heck am I supposed to do with that?" Artie then make a quick noise of protest, but she stopped him by holding her hand up. "I do _not_ want to hear it Artie. I know you told me about how you guys haven't done _that_ yet, but still. Any responsible parent would not allow their son or daughter have their significant other spend the night,let alone in the same bed for gods sake!" She stormed back over to the seat and sat down again.

"Now, I'm going to treat you guys like you're both 12 years old right now because you're acting like you're twelve years old, got it?" She took a deep breath then looked us straight in the eyes.

"Boys and girls are ..different. You know this. And there's these things called hormones. And teenagers have tons of them. And some of them cause teenagers to become really.. err.." At this point, Artie stopped her.

"Mommmm." He groaned. I looked over at him, and sure enough he was blushing. I was mortified too, of course. Was she seriously about to give us the sex talk? I felt my heart beat quicken, and my hands shake a little bit. God, this was embarrassing.

"Don't you mom me Artie." She snapped. "My point is that teenagers have sex, and sometimes it results in pregnancy. This should be a very real idea to you guys, considering that one Cheerio who got pregnant last year. I just _do not_ want that to happen to you guys. I can't stop you from _doing_ anything, but I can make sure you guys are being.. responsible. It's called condoms and birth control, got it?" Now we were both beet red.

She paused for a moment, chewing on her lip.

"Now. I should be furious with you two. I shouldn't allow you to see each other for a month. You've disrespected me and your father..Mr. Abrams to you Tina, by disobeying our clear as day orders." I looked down, my heart sinking. A whole month? I could feel the faint sting of tears building up.

"But I'm not going to. It's not like you guys are going to listen anyways. Just.. tell me things. I know I might just seem like a cranky mom most of the time, but I do care about you guys. I care about what's going on in your lives. Don't be afraid to talk to me." She sighed, all the anger seeming to have fizzled out.

I glanced over at Artie who was looking down at our intertwined hands, seemingly lost in thought.

"Okay. I'm done. Tina, you're allowed to stay, I guess. Goodnight." Mrs. Abrams got up, and silently left the room.


	6. Calming Serenade

**Hi :)**

**_ARTIE POV:_**

At that point, I was positive about a couple of things. First, I was sure that my mom was the most terrifying woman in the world. Scratch that. The most _mortifying _woman in the world. After the initial anger that I knew was inevitable when she caught Tina and I in my room, she started speaking in a matter-of-factly but awkward tone.

"Boys and girls are...different. You know this. And there's these things called hormones. And teenagers have tons of them. And some of them cause teenagers to become really...err," She began, Tina's beet red face looking over at me with furrowed eyebrows. I could feel my cheeks burning as my mom went on. This was another thing I was positive of: Tina was probably going to explode. Tina's pleading eyes caught mine, her teeth hard at work gnawing on her lip.

"Mom," I groaned, begging her to stop talking. She brought up a finger, attempting to silence me. I looked down at Tina's hands shaking wildly, her breath quickening. I gave her a soft glance, trying to make the best out of the awful situation. My mom shot me a look and continued.

"Don't you mom me Artie," She hissed, "My point is that teenagers have sex, and sometimes it results in pregnancy. This should be a very real idea to you guys, considering that one Cheerio who got pregnant last year. I just _do not_ want that to happen to you guys. I can't stop you from _doing_ anything, but I can make sure you guys are being...responsible. It's called condoms and birth control, got it?" My face burned, Tina's tone matching mine. I mouthed the words, "I'm sorry" over at Tina as she nodded attentively, trying to get everything over with as quick as possible. A ton of retaliations replayed in my mind, my teeth finding my lip as to not blurt them all out at once. I didn't understand why my mom decided to give us both the sex talk at this time of night...while we were together.

Tina caught my gaze again, her frantic eyes searching for that calmness that seemed to always envelop her when we were around each other. She was searching for that bit of peace, that tiny sanctuary that always seemed to last when we touched. I mouthed the words, "I love you," to her as her breathing slowed a bit, my mom continuing.

"Now. I should be furious with you two. I shouldn't allow you to see each other for a month. You've disrespected me and your father, Mr. Abrams to you, Tina,by disobeying our clear as day orders," She paused, taking a defeated breath, "But I'm not going to. It's not like you guys are going to listen anyways. Just...tell me things. I know I might just seem like a cranky mom most of the time, but I do care about you guys. I care about what's going on in your lives. Don't be afraid to talk to me." She seemed like she was giving up on being angry at that point. I looked down at my hand, fingers twisted with Tina's. I didn't really know what to think right then. Was I supposed to be angry for my mom embarrassing us both intentionally? Was I was supposed to feel bad about breaking the rules? Was I supposed to accept that it was worth it? I _did _finally admit my feelings and come to terms with myself, but was that worth giving my mom a heart attack?

The selfish side of me said that it was all worth it.

The "be respectful and sweet to your parents" side of me told me that I should have thought everything through before I did anything.

I just sat there, looking down and not saying anything at all.

"Okay. I'm done. Tina, you're allowed to stay, I guess. Goodnight." My mom got up, glanced down at us in defeat and left the room. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking apologetically over at my girlfriend.

Girlfriend.

You have no idea how good it feels to say that. After countless nights of lying there in bed, missing her more than I have ever missed anything in my life, after swearing I was going to have to live alone because I couldn't get over her, after promising that I'd stay out of her life, trying not to be more selfish than I had before...It was an amazing feeling. I ran my tongue over my teeth, mouthing the word to myself.

"I'm so sorry, Tee," I whimpered, squeezing her hand lightly. Tina looked back at me, just as apologetic as I looked at her.

"Don't be sorry," She bit her lip, eyes flicking over to me. She squeezed my hand, rubbing her thumb over the back of it. A half-smile toyed with the corners of her lips, twitching like she was going to say something and changed her mind. I smashed my lips together in a thin line, attempting to refrain from reaching over to kiss her. When her eyes met mine again, I couldn't hold back.

I lifted my hand up from sitting awkwardly next to me, stretching it up to her cheek. Her smile widened a bit as I slid it back toward her ear, my fingers tangling in her hair. Her head started to turn to the side, the gentle, dull light in the room sparkling in her eyes. It was a strange thing how Tina could get me totally wrapped up in her without even trying. All it took was one look. One sweep of the eyes, soft gaze lingering on me before changing to look at the floor. One small stare, her deep brown eyes stopping on mine.

She bit her lip bashfully, eyes sweeping back up to me.

"Hey," I said, my voice balancing between a speaking voice and a whisper, "It's alright." Tina's half-smile returned, face inching in to me. I leaned in the rest of the way, our lips meeting each other. They moved slowly in unison, bashing together for a couple of seconds. I breathed in deeply, filling my entire body with the fragrant scent of her hair before letting it out as slow as I could. We came crashing back down to Earth as she pulled away, a smile on her lips. The smile was shortly interrupted by a small squeak following a thunder clap. Tina scrambled over to me, hiding her face in my shoulder.

"Can we go back in your room now?" She whimpered, wrapping her arms tightly around my back. I rubbed her back gingerly, kissing the top of her head.

"It's okay, honey. It's just a little thunder," I whispered, low and soothing, "We can go back in if you want." She nodded feverishly, letting me go. I shifted back into my wheelchair, the unmistakeable squeak of the wheels indicating the changing of weight. Tina plopped nervously on my lap, holding on to me for dear life. Rolling back to my room, Tina shook in fear, thunder booming outside. I opened the door, moving quickly to the edge of my bed. Tina trembled in my lap, stricken with fright, "It's okay, Tee. It's alright." She looked into my eyes for a second, furrowing her eyebrows. Reluctantly, Tina got off of my lap and buried herself under the blankets as the sound of the rain floated in from outside. I quickly joined her on the bed, using my hands to swing my legs up in one swift motion. Tina's face was hidden in my chest as quickly as I had gotten over to her.

"Artie," She whispered helplessly. "We're going to die." I shushed her soothingly, kissing her forehead.

"We're not going to die. We're perfectly fine. Everything's okay. Trust me, Tina," I whispered back, moving my hand fluidly over her back and shoulder. I could feel her shoulders shaking, frightened tears welling up in her eyes. Using the last option in things that would calm her down, I started to sing, low and breezy.

_I promise you this._

_ I'll always look out for you._

_ Yeah, that's what I'll do._

_ Oh, I. Oh, I._

_ My heart is yours. _

_ It's you that I hold on to._

_ That's what I'll do._

I knew she was starting to calm down when the tears stopped, her lips finding mine again.

"I love you, Artie," She said quietly, face buried in my chest again, "So much. I don't know how you manage to always be the one to pick me back up when I reach this kind of low, but I can't thank you enough for it. I love you." She swallowed nervously, scared of my reaction.

"Tee, I'm glad to help you. You know I am. When people love each other, they don't care how low they sink. They are there either way. I love _you," _I replied, resting my lips on the top of her head. Her breath started to slow after a contented sigh, ragged from the storm. Her eyes closed shortly after the storm slowed to a stop.

"We braved the storm," She giggled, drifting off to sleep. With those last few words from her, I wasn't sure if she was just referring to this storm, or the storm of... _us. _We have come so far.

We made it. We made it through Mike. We made it through Brittany. We made it through the heart-wrenching pain. We made it through the fear. We made it through all of the sadness and loss. We made it through the rain. We made it back to each other.

We braved the storm.

**So, I think this is the end of the road. I love you guys and I hope to collab with Gabby again because she's amazing (please go check out her profile :O She's amazing. Her screename thingy is: Gabrielleeeee ...SHE'S SO TALENTED AND PUT UP WITH MY WACKONESS) **

**I love you, fellow tarts.**


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